FIRST THINGS FIRST, THOUGH.
HEAVY IN OUR HEARTS AND MINDS ARE THE EVENTS OF SOUTH
CAROLINA, BUT THERE WAS HOPEFUL NEWS.
GOV. NIKKI HALEY FINALLY CAME FORWARD AND ADDRESSED THE FACT
THAT THE CONFEDERATE FLAG IS STILL HANGING IN FRONT OF THE
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE CAPITAL.
>> TODAY WE'RE HERE AT A MOMENT OF UNITY IN OUR STATE
WITHOUT ILL WILL TO SAY IT'S TIME TO MOVE THE FLAG FROM THE
CAPITAL GROUNDS.
>> YES.
[ >> ABSOLUTELY.
THAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
GOOD FOR YOU, SOUTH CAROLINA. UP HERE, NIKKI!
BUT SERIOUSLY, I MEAN, WHO COULD HAVE BEEN AGAINST THIS,
RIGHT?
ESPECIALLY IN THE LIGHT OF THE INCIDENT THAT JUST HAPPENED,
AND PARTICULARLY IN 2015.
ANYBODY RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT TRYING TO GET REPUBLICAN
VOTES?
BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT THEY SAID THIS WEEKEND.
>> I STILL FEEL IT'S NOT AN ISSUE FOR A PERSON RUNNING FOR
PRESIDENT.
>> MARCO RUBIO TELLING REPORTERS THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
WILL MAKE THE DECISION >> THAT'S A DECISION FOR THE
PEOPLE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
>> THIS IS A DECISION THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE IN SOUTH
CAROLINA.
>> STATES RIGHTS IS A CLASSIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE COP OUT.
WHEN YOU ASK ME IF THE SKY IS BLUE, THAT'S A QUESTION BEST
LEFT TO THE STATE.
>> HOW DO I KNOW WHAT YOU WOULD DO WITH THE FLAG?
I'M NOT A FLAG SCIENTIST.
I WANT TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, NOT PRESIDENT
OF FLAGS.
I REJECT YOUR QUESTION.
>> I WANT TO KNOW, ARE YOU TAKING
THIS DOWN TOMORROW.
ARE YOU TAKING IT DOWN TONIGHT?
BECAUSE I CAN COME OVER WITH A FLASHLIGHT.
>> THE U.S. FLAG WAS HALF STAFF, BUT THE REBEL FLAG
REMAINED HIGH, PADLOCKED AND UNTOUCHABLE
WITHOUT AN OVERRIDE BY 2/3 OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
>> PADLOCKED? WELL, OKAY, NO PROBLEM.
YOU GET THAT TWO THIRDS, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, AND I'LL GET THE
KEY.
I HAVE ONE OF THOSE.
RIGHT HERE.
THIS WILL OPEN ANY PAD LOCK OR NON-PAD LOCK OR MAXIMUM
SECURITY PRISON IN UPSTATE NEW YORK.
OOPS.
PERHAPS I SAID TOO MUCH
ANYHOW, THE POINT IS, YOU'RE TAKING THAT FLAG DOWN, RIGHT?
>> AS GOVERNOR, I HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO CALL THEM BACK
INTO SESSION UNDER EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES.
I'VE INDICATED TO THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE, THAT IF THEY
DO NOT TAKE MEASURES THIS SUMMER, I WILL USE THAT
AUTHORITY FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATURE REMOVING THE
FLAG FROM THE STATEHOUSE GROUNDS:
>> SO YOU WANT THEM TO COME BACK TO DEBATE TAKING IT DOWN,
BUT THERE'S A CHANCE THAT THEY WON'T.
SO YOU SAY HEY, GUYS, YOU BETTER COME BACK AND TALK
ABOUT THIS.
SOUTH CAROLINA -- (BLEEP) I'M JUST GOING TO HAVE TO
RETRACT MY UP HERE.
LET ME GIVE YOU UNSOLICITED ADVICE.
HOW ABOUT JUST TAKE THE DAMN FLAG DOWN RIGHT NOW
[ APPLAUSE ] HEAR ME OUT.
[ APPLAUSE ] AND THEN YOU CAN DEBATE PUTTING
IT BACK UP.
[ APPLAUSE ] HOW ABOUT THAT?
NOW I KNOW AS GOVERNOR, YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THE RULES, BUT
YOU'RE A SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR.
THERE WERE NO RULES FOR YOU GUYS.
I MEAN THE LAST GOVERNOR TOOK THE APPALACHIA TRAIL TO
ARGENTINA ON A MISSION FOR SECRET POON
WHICH, BY THE WAY IS AGAINST SOUTH CAROLINA LAW.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE DEBATE IS ABOUT ANYWAY.
IT'S NOT AN OFFICIAL FLAG.
IT'S A RELIC WITH NO PURPOSE ANYMORE.
IT'S DECORATIVE.
YOU DON'T NEED A DECLARATION TO REMOVE A DECORATION.
OKAY.
[ LOOK, IT'S TIME FOR A SEGMENT
WE CALL FOR THE RECORD.
FOR THE RECORD, THE CONFEDERATE FLAG SENT A
TRADITIONAL OF HERITAGE.
IT'S INTIMIDATION.
THAT'S NOT MY OPINION.
THAT'S AN OBJECTIVE FACT.
ON MARCH 21st, 1861, THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE CONFEDERACY,
STATED THAT THE CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT WAS BASED ON THE
GREAT TRUTH THAT THE NEGRO IS NOT EQUAL TO THE WHITE MAN.
THAT SPEECH IS NOW CALLED THE CORNER STONE SPEECH, BECAUSE
THAT IDEA IS THE CORNER STONE OF THE CONFEDERACY.
YOU DON'T GET CLEARER THAN THAT.
SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT SOUTHERN STATES SHOULD FLY THE
CONFEDERATE FLAG BECAUSE OF HERITAGE, BUT IF WE FLEW EVERY
FLAG FROM THE PAST, WHY NOT FLY THE UNION JACK IN FRONT OF
THE WHITE HOUSE. AND FOR THE RECORD, SOUTH CAROLINA,
YOU DON'T GET TO MAKE THE HERITAGE ARGUMENT BECAUSE
THE STARS AND BARS HASN'T BEEN IN PLACE SINCE THE CIVIL
WAR, IT WENT UP IN 1961 TO MARK THE CENTENNIAL OF THE CIVIL WAR
COINCIDENTALLY WHEN THE BLACK STARTED WANTING CIVIL RIGHTS
1961, IT WAS A REMINDER TO BLACK PEOPLE THAT THEY SHOULD
KNOW THEIR PLACE.
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN USED AS A SYMBOL OF INTIMIDATION AND
TERROR.
AND IN FACT, THE NEO NAZIS OFTEN ADOPT THE CONFEDERATE
FLAG IN IT'S PLACE.
IT'S SUCH A RACIST SYMBOL THAT IS DOES DOUBLE DUTY AS THE
BACKUP RACIST SYMBOL FOR ANOTHER RACIST SYMBOL.
[ APPLAUSE ] >> IT'S CRAZY.
OKAY.
SO FOR THE RECORD, I GET IT THAT PLENTY OF HONORABLE
PEOPLE HAVE FUZZY FEELINGS ABOUT THE CONFEDERATE FLAG,
BUT THAT'S IRRELEVANT.
THEIR NOSTALGIA WILL NEVER TRUMP THE PEOPLE WHO SEE IT AS
A SYMBOL OF HATE.
AND FOR A STATE TO FLY THIS FLAG, THAT HATE IS THE MESSAGE
THEY SEND TO THEIR PEOPLE.
FOR THE RECORD, DOES THERE REALLY NEED TO BE A DEBATE ON
WHETHER OR NOT TO YOU SHOULD TAKE IT DOWN.
JUST DO IT. SERIOUSLY, TAKE IT DOWN NOW.